Deception by NMSU regents is unacceptable

Garrey Carruthers,left, chancellor and president of New Mexico State University talks with Debra Hicks, right, chairwoman of the NMSU board of regents, before the special session meeting took place. During which the regents voted four to zero to start the search for a new chancellor. Wednesday Aug. 30, 2017.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)Buy Photo

The Board of Regents for New Mexico State University certainly has the right to replace Chancellor Garrey Carruthers and find somebody new to lead the university after July 2018.

But typically, such a momentous decision is only made following numerous public-input sessions with faculty, staff and students to establish not only why a change is needed, but also what we hope to achieve with it. Why is the current leader not living up to expectations, and what do we expect the next leader to do differently?

None of that happened in this case.

In fact, it was clearly the regents’ intent to mislead the public into believing that this was not their decision at all. The original press release in early August presented the change as having been Carruthers’ decision to retire.

“New Mexico State University Chancellor Garrey Carruthers plans to retire from his position July 1, 2018, at the end of his contract period,” the press release said.

Regents Chairwoman Debra Hick said of Carruthers for the official press release, “He has worked steadfast to transform NMSU for the future and enhance our student-centric institution.”

OK, so why are you firing him?

“The Chancellor has said he has some projects on his list he wishes to complete before his retirement,” Hicks said, continuing the ruse. “I look forward to our conquest to play the golf courses around New Mexico during his retirement.”

Carruthers never wanted to play golf. He wants to continue leading NMSU. The only reason he submitted his retirement was because he was told by regents that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.

That bogus retirement story would have held up if not for a last-minute public support campaign from state legislators, NMSU donors and other local leaders. Bolstered by that public show of support, Carruthers released a public statement saying what he had told others privately; that he was being forced out.

On Wednesday, regents, for the first time, took a public vote affirming their decision to replace Carruthers.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time NMSU regents have been less than honest with the public when it comes to parting ways with the university president. In October 2012, regents held a series of secret meetings to negotiate the departure of then-president Barbara Couture, complete with a $453,092 golden parachute.

Once again, regents tried unsuccessfully to cover their tracks. When it was noticed that Couture wasn’t showing up for work after those secret meetings, we were told simply that she was on annual leave.

When the truth finally came out, golden parachute and all, Regents Chairman Mike Cheney offered this by way of explanation: “We will not discuss the reasons behind this decision.”

That led to universal outrage, including among state legislators who introduced new bills to outlaw golden parachutes and change the way regents are selected. Neither passed, but perhaps a second look is now in order.

Two current regents — Cheney and Kari Mitchell — were also on the board for the Couture debacle. It is disappointing to see university leaders repeating past mistakes.